The Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest active astronomical observatories in the world, with its roots going back to 1582 and the reform of the Julian calendar. Today there are more than a dozen Jesuit scientists from many different countries on the staff of the Observatory, who study the universe through solid, scientific methods. They stand at the forefront of scientific research covering a broad range of topics, from an examination of the tiniest specs of interplanetary dust to the origins and structure of the universe. The Jesuit astronomers of the Vatican Observatory have contributed to discoveries in many fields from the origins of our solar system to the structure of galaxies.